I won't lie: I did not handle the earlier part of today well. It started out as one of those days where everything I touched, planned, fixed and/or adjusted would not work out. 

There was the ongoing saga of trying to transfer prescriptions to Walgreens, thanks to my insurance no longer working with CVS. I've been at this a week already and well ... let's just say I'll be badgering doctors for new prescriptions for my family tomorrow, and they won't be getting filled at Walgreens. At least I was polite when I told them they suck--not even using the word 'suck.' Hey, there's enough hostility in the world. Still, lucky for them, their incompetence was only the first thing to annoy me today!

I had to pull weeds out of flowerbeds that should not have made their way through the sheeting below the mulch. Since my thumbs are far more interested in hitting the space bar than they are attempting to be green, this did not help my mood. I'm also not a perfect landscaping type person, so having to wrestle with nature to get it behave when I don't think it needs to do so in the first place, it frustrating. The story on why I need to do so is longer than my long day, so I'll spare you.

It didn't end there. A sticky spot on the carpet that would not come out soon followed. There was the fight with my mother over politics. (She started it.) Didn't notice my gas tank practically empty--perfect when running late. The 'Fall leaves' scent in the wax warmer I set going to put me in a happier mood made me queasy. So when I realized I had run out of milk for my mid-day coffee, I pulled out the mug that matched my personality of the moment: a crab.

About an hour later, I unexpectedly wound up on a phone call with the friend who gave me that mug and voila! My whole day turned around. Nothing like a good buddy with a great sense of humor and a sympathetic ear to open your heart and your mind. Afterwards, I said 'yes' to a board game with the kids, did some design and writing work to help hubby on a project, made pasta primavera, found the right stuff to get the stain out of the carpet and ... found a review on my newly released novel! (I am so excited! It sounds like the reader reallllly liked Galen!)

Looking back on the day, it's hard to believe the earlier part of it was today--it seems so long ago. Luckily the bad morphed into the good. Nope ... nothing like a friend to add a little light to a dreary day and turn it all around. By the time the tornado threat and warning to take shelter started blaring over the radio and TV this evening, I was cool as a cucumber, sheltering in the bathroom with the kids while all my daughter's native friends laughed at us on social media for being paranoid. Sure, laugh at the Northeasterners. Let's see those girls handle the subway rush hour in Manhattan. :)

There's a new Contemporary/New Adult Romance on the block! Steamy, sweet, with broken characters who can't help but find their missing pieces in each other, Jigsaw Hearts is ready to make readers sweat and swoon with a touch of the metaphysical--and a whole lot of ... ehem ... megaphysical.

I'm proud of this story and the learning curve I  placed myself on to pull it off. This is a new genre for me--one I was hesitant to attack. So glad I pressed on, though! Ren and Galen's story wouldn't have been the same had I chickened out. I would love to know what you think, so reviews are very much appreciated! 

Jigsaw Hearts is available in ebook format at:
Amazon (also available in paperback)        BN  (also available in paperback)
Kobo      Apple         Scribd

I've got guacamole on the brain today. Had an incredible dish of it last night in a Mexican restaurant we tried for the first time. Chunky, sultry, perfect balance of cilantro and tomato. Couldn't get enough ... obvious, I suppose, since I'm still thinking about it. Almost as stellar as the table-side created guac I used to get up in the Northeast. Oh, how I miss that. 

Jigsaw Hearts leading man, Galen Zabriese, perfect book boyfriend that he is, knows good guac, too. In fact, he claims that in the eternal debate over whether chocolate or sex is better, there needs to be some discussion about guacamole. 

Try as I might, I never seem to hit the perfect combo of texture, cilantro, tomato, etc when I make the stuff myself. I think the problem is in reaching too high. In an effort to make the best guac, I overdo it. I've added too much of 'a little bit' of jalapeno. I've over-mushed it. I think, perhaps, I've even added too much cilantro ... but that's hard to believe since I could eat that stuff by the handful. 

I might have to cozy up to the owners at the Mexican restaurant and see if they'll give me some hints. How about you? Do you have the perfect guacamole recipe? And ... are you willing to share? Pretty please?